Eustachius of Harras

Eustachius I von Harras (* around 1500 ; † autumn 1561 ) was the last of the noble family of those von Harras zu Lichtenwalde. Eustachius von Harras took over the business of his father Georg II. Von Harras at Lichtenwalde Castle ( Saxony ) in 1534 , when he retired to Oßmannstedt ( Thuringia ). Eustachius was married to Barbara von Schönberg . When Eustachius died in the autumn of 1561 without male heirs, the line of those of Harras in Lichtenwalde was also extinguished.

Life

Von Harras was born around 1500 as the son of Georg von Harras auf Lichtenwalde and Margarethe von Minckwitz. Around 1530 his father left the business in Lichtenwalde alone to him and his daughter-in-law and withdrew to the family seat of Oßmannstedt near Weimar , which the Lichtenwalder branch of the von Harras had shortly before inherited from their cousins. After the death of his father in 1539, Eustachius also took over Oßmannstedt, which his father had to lease to Heinrich von Pflugk three years earlier because he refused to accept the Protestant faith and was therefore expelled from the country by Elector Johann Friedrich. Eustachius, on the other hand, submitted to the plans of his successor Duke Heinrich for the Reformation after the death of the Catholic Duke George (1539) , not without drawing personal benefit from them by enriching himself with the church's wealth.

In 1531 he married Barbara von Schönberg zu Purschenstein , to whom half of the Lichtenwald property was given as a personal asset . During his rule over Lichtenwalde he tried to increase his own economy by buying up farms and around 1550 he converted the old castle into a residential palace. In 1546, Eustachius, as a Weimar district vassal with four armed horses, had to stand by the elector for military service. In Oßmannstedt there were constant disputes with the subjects on which Duke Johann Friedrich the Middle had to reprimand 1550 Eustace that he his subjects to build compulsory labor only ask, but never could force. However, the disputes between the subjects of Oßmannstedt and Ulrichshalben and their heir continued. The city of Chemnitz also often complained that Eustachius violated its privileges in the Lichtenwald villages. In contrast, the city of Mittweida was particularly grateful to him after the devastating city fire of 1550, because he had construction materials delivered immediately and for many years waived immediate payment in return for an assurance of further sales.

During the church visit of 1555 it was found that Eustachius had filed opaque and false invoices about the use of church property, which ultimately resulted in a return of over 7,000 guilders. The high indebtedness could not be compensated for by finding and mining hard coal in the Lichtenwalde domain. Eustachius died in the autumn of 1561 without a male heir and was buried in the Dresden Frauenkirche . The claims of his widow Barbara and sister Brigitta von Honsberg were settled by Elector August I in a special contract. The estates of Oßmannstedt and Ulrichshalben fell to the cousins ​​of Eustachius zu Magdala who were enfeoffed. Barbara von Harras died in 1574 and was also buried in the Frauenkirche in Dresden.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b c} Traugott Märcker : Diplomatic-critical contributions to the history and the constitutional rights of Saxony . Brockhaus, 1842, p. 253 ( books.google.de ).
2. ↑ Thank God Immanuel Merkel, Karl August Engelhardt: Earth description of Electoral Saxony and the countries now belonging to it . Merkel, 1804, p. 132 ( books.google.com ).
3. ↑ Adam Daniel Richter: Cumbersome, from reliable news compiled Chronica Der, located at the foot of the Meißnischen Ertzgebürges, Königl. Pohln. and Churfürstl. Saxon. City of Chemnitz: along with attached documents . Schöps, 1763, p. 58 ( books.google.de ).
4. ↑ ^{a b} P. G. Hilscher: “The” collector for history and antiquity, art and nature in the Elbthale: published by PG Hilscher . Grimmer, 1837, p. 314-315 ( books.google.de ).